CONTENTS

ABUSE

WHAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO READ

PART 1 TRAUMA

When everything went wrong

My separation

Parent War 1: Losing primary custody of my daughter

Parent War 2: Losing primary custody of my son

Parent War 3: My ex after more money

I hated my ex

Parent War 4: Difficulties with the stepfather

Parent War 5: My daughter in a locked-down facility

Parent War 6: The war brought on by my son

The mom’s revenge

PART 2 TRANSITION

Who could have imagined…

Questions that wouldn’t go away

The structures within

My discovery

Principle One

Principle Two

The negative actions of the mom (Principle One) and the negative actions of the children (Principle Two) bring down the children

Are Principles One and Two the only principles that build healthy kids?

My reactions against my own research

Solutions become increasingly clear

Others’ reactions to the Two Principles

“The gift of my dad”

The Seven Steps

Step 1: Understanding

Step 2: Acceptance

Step 3: Amnesia

Step 4: Mercy

Step 5: Neutral—Damaging

Step 6: Benefiting

Step 7: The Cost of Doing Business

PART 3 TRIUMPH

My attempt to make peace with the mom

Trying to build peace with my daughter

Still missing the mark

A most unexpected relationship

Changes taking place with me

Changes taking place with the mom

Mercy: The transformation of my daughter

Finally, my first successful encounter with my ex

What happened to my daughter?

What about me?

We never stop looking for opportunities

AFTERWORD

THE TWO PRINCIPLES

THE SEVEN STEPS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR